Yankee Rose
by MistyInfinity
Summary: Dixie Clemets squares off against a formidable foe.


**Disclaimer:** I am not the owners off all the trademarked characters used in this fan fiction.

**Author's Notes:** The following stories don't strictly follow the canon and aren't all focused on wrestling. I had so many ideas so I decided to turn this last "Duality" story into a collection of unrelated one-shot stories on focusing on two Roses of my chosen be it tag team or otherwise. Please enjoy!

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_**Duality Collection**_  
Yankee Rose

_This is it girl_, Dixie said to herself. The gun smoke from her silver revolvers cleared as she peered on out into the distance. The moment she turns her back; she'll have to be prepared for whomever steps out from behind the curtains. Sweat drops drizzle down her face in anticipation. No match is ordinary, each is its own story, but this one's going to be a timeless classic. That's what's expected of dream matches.

Dixie hands her ring props to the stage manager and finds comfort leaning against the turnbuckle. Her eyes were on the show floor where her opponent is about to tread. The arena dims, the crowd's jeering subsides. And then it builds up, an explosion of ecstasy for their majesty commanding their respect. The lively brunette brought out by an orchestra of a Pop music flavor, Reiko Hinomoto takes the stage.

_This is where it begins_, Dixie thought, putting on that readied expression. Grabbing the rim of her black stetson, those baby blues blared their fiery passion. For the moment. Those eyes descended into deadness in compliance with Dixie's befuddlement. She saw lavender hair that dwindled in the air like Cherry Blossoms leaves. She saw sakura pink ruffles and a sheathed rapier reminiscent of the Elizabethan period. And lastly, the long ivory cape reading "Rose of Roses"all defined the looks of a super heroine, Noble Rose.

She leaped from on top of the stage screen onto the floor accepting the greetings from her younger sister, making her way to the ring. All Dixie knew was that her match would be against Kamikaze Rose's daughter, undoubtedly meaning Reiko. However, Noble Rose walking up ahead of Reiko tells a different tale. An unexpected occurrence, but interesting. Dixie was not bothered -- yet. She walked up to the middle of the mat to greet her opponents entering the ring.

"So who's my opponent?" Dixie asked, "I'll gladly take on the both of you."

The sister's Hinomoto sat on the second ropes, taking turns to usher themselves into the ring. Reiko in her red and white attire she wore in homage to her Mother, smiled dutifully at Dixie's cockiness. It was the thorn of a different bush that displayed the veracity in her silence. As the one with the better showmanship, Reiko spoke up to confirm details of tonight's match.

"As much as I would love a rematch against you, this fight goes to Fujiko," Reiko said.

"So be it then," Dixie said, shifting her eyes off Reiko on to Noble Rose. "Let's make this a good one."

"..."

Reiko looked to her sister whose dead gaze on Dixie was unrelenting, and lips that did not offer a response. The air just got colder. That woman's glare was nothing short of petrifying – so inhuman. No blood runs through the veins of this statuette chiseled in seriousness and apathy. Dixie's eyes dallied back and forth between the Hinomotos. The contrast of amiableness and nefariousness was pitiful, but intriguing. If the sister's differ so much in personality, seeing how they differ in style proved exciting.

Dixie punched her hand into her fist, "I got ya. The only answer I'll get is from fighting you." The next sound to trickle her ears besides the fan's arousal, better be the bell. Noble Rose's expression remained the same with merely her eyes changing focus to Reiko, whom took the rapier and cape from her. Not the same glowing girl Dixie saw through her eyes. Noble instead saw the disconnection between her and her sister. Reiko's nonchalant ways disallowed her to look Noble in the face. She gathered her sister's things swiftly and proceeded to exit the room.

She paused. Reiko's mood had visibly changed until a slight wardrobe alteration brought back that gleaming sparkle. Dixie tossed her black stetson on to Reiko's head in perfect alignment. Dixie figured she didn't mind playing the role of a collector. Might as well add her things too. A wink and a smile between the both of them strummed more bitterness into Noble's tired grimace, but this went on unnoticed by Reiko and Dixie.

The bell sounds. The crowd erupts. The match is on. _Now it gets interesting_, Dixie thought, but her excitement was fleeting at the sight of Noble Rose casually adjusting her gloves. Dixie wanted to charge at her with a lariat, but caution makes foolhardiness take a back seat. No ring psychology seemed to be in place, listlessness was the general consensus. Noble Rose was already downsizing Dixie as an opponent. Dixie felt the surge of anger tighten the muscles in her arms, but it was not time to bring out the bull. The match had just started. In spite of that, there was no telling the freshly lit flame that it had to die down.

Dixie got out of her defensive stance and got into a hasty one, resting her hands on her hips. Something Noble Rose finally took notice of and responded too. "Easily rattled I see," she said, wanting to show how amused she was by Dixie's actions. "Is there something you want from me?"

Noble Rose was acting careless and it wasn't part of a scheme. Discretion and restraint were essential to winning this match, but Dixie can't let that go to waste. There's no telling for how long she would be able to keep calm before the gut instinct of wildly hammering her opponent took over. In fact as diminutively juvenile as it were, she wanted to smash Noble's snotty face in, but acting the part would certainly tip the psychology scales.

"I want you to come at me like you're willing to die," Dixie said. Even hearing the ravenous petulance in her voice didn't make her think for a second at that shoddy image she was displaying. She means everything she says.

In no hesitation did Noble Rose spring forward. Running right into Dixie's arms feeling lighter than cotton, then falling like a ton of wood for a scoop slam. "Damn you're kinda heavy," Dixie commented, looking down at the mat. Seeing those fierce eyes glare at her vindictively from the ground brought about a sharp pain to Dixie's head. She immediately touched her forehead while tumbling backwards onto the supporting back ropes. "Damn what the hell was that?" Dixie whispered to herself, questioning the pain.

_Demon eyes that glowed a red barring more hatred than mine._

"Where is this...coming from?" Dixie got a response all right. In the form of her arm being ripped from their sockets, thrusting her into an Irish whip. A sprint to the ropes. A return to the other side. A kick to her stomach. Dixie's feet slid from under her, wind swept as she fell to her knees and held her stomach. That was enough of a motive to draw some air back into her lungs before – presto, another maneuver. Again with the rough handling of the arm, pulling Dixie up onto her feet. Noble Rose waltz right behind her for a complicated pain-staking submission. Noble place her leg over Dixie's neck and pulled back her favorite arm tucking under her own in an Octopus Stretch.

The awkward positioning of Dixie's body spread out the pain evenly to some key points. The twist of her torso sent aches racing up her body from the pelvis to the chest plate. Her abused arm became the host of the afflictions in her bouncing shoulder, looking to separate the arm at the joint. And you can't forget Noble Rose's thigh playing nutcracker with Dixie's neck. _This is going to be bad at this rate_, Dixie so obviously thought. She winced in pain though not verbalizing her grief. Denying her attacker any sense of satisfaction. Noble Rose jerked her like a roller coaster that had no ending in sight. There was no rope break, or evasive stunt Dixie could pull to get out of this hold, not one came to mind.

Reiko had been quiet since this match's start. She dilly-dallied around the ring only to get better views of the action and was caught in Dixie's sight. Odds are she's in support of her sister and not her friendly rival, but Reiko was still a point of interest. Those eyes of a caramel coating flickered like a dying bulb, in this case of a girl witnessing a massacre. If not told in the eyes, then the trembling hands that shook the bottom rope from which they clung to, clearly showed something was amiss.

_A merciless fighter perhaps, but not a blood thirsty demon._

_That was it!_ Dixie fidgeted a bit. Then used her free arm to hoist Noble Rose's leg from off her neck. It was a struggle, nonetheless success was found. Noble Rose still had Dixie's arm under hers, but a plan could not be hatched. Both of her feet only lightly touched the ground before she was lifted back onto Dixie's back, who was now in control. In a momentous sweep was Noble Rose spun into a slam called the "Angle Slam" named for its user. The impact was only heavy due to her own weight. The extra sounding of a hard hit came from the fans jumping in unison out of their seats to cheer the barbaric showing. Dixie bit at the pain sent to her stomach, even so a storm was brewing in the arm Noble delightfully works at. Dixie rolled over to the nearest turnbuckle to recuperate, setting some distance between her and Noble Rose. She clutched her arm and took this small chance to breathe and re-group.

Dixie's a dreamer like any other. One who envisions her goals. One who sees the images that seep into her mind when the body sleeps. Is there a heaven and hell? Perhaps. It's even possible that apparitions exist. As well as those stories of the dead communicating with mortals through their dreams. Though what's not believable, is Dixie being a chosen as the receiver of this message. Its not that Dixie doesn't choose to understand. Those abstract messages had little correlation to each other, and were are hard to decipher. Dixie rather do something else,than sit here and think about this obscure one-liners. And that was to dodge the kneecap aiming for her face. Rolling out on to the floor just in time for Noble Rose to barely miss ramming her knee into the turnbuckle post. Out of the jungle but not the danger zone, Dixie felt that sharp pain yet again.

_Haunting the ring from which they slaughtered, is the job of a hell bound soul._

"Damn it," Dixie quips while holding her head, "What is up with this?"

"Come now and let us both fight," Noble Rose demands, reigning a sense of true superiority.

Reiko appears from behind the corner post outside the ring. "Come Dixie, you're doing fine. Get back in there," she says, providing some encouragement.

"Reiko." Dixie said, exasperated but liberated. It was reliving to hear a voice other than her own that wasn't confusing or threating. It was the light to the darkness, which held only despair of losing one's sanity from tactics that were rough and unbecoming.

Something Noble Rose didn't approve of her having. "Give your attention to me," she said, fully aware of her condescending attitude. "I am the daughter you should have fought and I will be the one to bring back Mother's name to glory."

Dixie let go of her head, perplexed and almost amazed at Noble Rose. She had the audacity to say that right in front of Reiko. A just implication that Reiko's lost to Dixie brought shame to Kamikaze Rose. Dixie glanced at Reiko backing out of view. She must feel hurt from that. Dixie's eyes veered back over to ring, noting a difference in the surroundings. Somehow that ring grew bigger, somehow the crowd disappeared. This match had now transported itself to a shadow realm where it was just Dixie and the Hinomoto sisters. _What is going on?_ Dixie wondered, but then she the presence of an invader in her mind brought distress. That voice grew louder.

_Death in the ring brought an eternity of fights. A string of endless opponents as it is the parent's job to right the sins of the child not yet aware of their crimes..._

Dixie knew her mind was playing tricks on her. She also knew everything happened for a reason. If Dixie is meant to have spirits chase her with these messages, there must be a reason for it. For now she wasn't going to let Noble Rose enjoy her ego trip. "Well then if you want Kamikaze Rose to be proud of ya, show me that you got a backbone." Noble Rose's smile was sicking, disingenuous and annoying, but she backed away to show some sign of sportsmanship she hadn't all match. Dixie grabbed the ropes and got on the outside apron as a trembling feeling overtook her top corner of her left arm. It wasn't painful so she ignored it.

Now Dixie was back inside the ring. Dixie and Noble Rose walk about the squared circle eying each other's every move. Dixie unconsciously switched views from Noble to Reiko on a constant basis. There was no distrust for Reiko. In spite of that, Dixie couldn't rule out Noble Rose using their relation to manipulate Reiko into aiding her. And with Reiko staying on the side where her sister stood, a test of this bond was well underway. Taking the initiative, Dixie ran with the intent of landing her lariat. Noble Rose's eyes narrowed , half smiling as she took the blow to her chest and fell flat on her back. Dixie figured she too was going to fall. In anticipation she landed on her palms, demonstrating her upper body strength by pushing herself back up. This moment was hers. Dixie yanked Noble Rose's arm with the same roughness she gave her, dragging Noble into an upwards sitting position. Pulling at that arm again Dixie came down on it hard with a leg drop.

Noble Rose scoffed at Dixie's attempt to harm her much to Dixie's dismay. She'd rather Noble scream for her sadistic pleasure. They both turned over onto their feet, ready for round two. They moved at the same speed dashing at one another. Dixie's hand balled into a fist, prepared to club Noble Rose. _Come on_! The fist was thrown, the connection forthcoming! No! It was a miss. Noble Rose eluded her pain promising club attack, and met the surprised Dixie with a kick to the mid-section. Dixie was featherbrained of course. Not only that, had more head trauma come her way. Noble Rose back flipped, purposely kicking Dixie in the head and knocking her back down on the mat.

_Crap_, Dixie thought. That shot to the head made her wonder where Noble gets her boots from. There's no time for girly girl frivolousness. It's doubtful that Noble Rose would want to go shopping anyway.

"Are you done wretch?" Noble Rose asked, laden with conceit.

"Don't mess with me," Dixie said, and that was going to be the only warning.

"Hang in there Dixie, okay?" Reiko called from her sister's corner. Her voice was welcoming and reminded Dixie to stay calm under any circumstance.

It also grated on Noble Rose's nerves. She turned around sharply Reiko, just appalled. "I take it you want her to win so you can have your rematch? Mind you there would be no need for it had you won in the first place."

"What?" Reiko was offended in her own right. "Fujiko I'm not here for that. I just want to see my friend and sister put on a good match."

"Friend?" Noble responds, toning down the fury that wants to release itself in her voice, as she then turns around, "Blood is thicker than water as they say..."

"Wait, what do you mean? Fujiko I'm not – " Reiko stops herself, halted by her older sister shutting her out. She sighs at the futile attempt at reconciliation knowing this argument is done.

A family affair as it may be, Dixie couldn't resist adding in her opinion. "That just pisses me off," she says while rising.

"I beg your pardon?" Noble Rose raises an eyebrow, suspicious of the objection.

"You heard me loud and clear," Dixie said, feet firmly planted on the ground, "You jealous sweetie?"

"Of what?" Noble probes further, the vehemence in her voice suggesting slight anger.

"You think I'm going to steal poor little Reiko away from ya?" Dixie asked, winking to incite anger.

Noble Rose smirked at, repressing a laugh. "Is that what you think?"

Reiko cleared her throat. "Hmph that's what I think."

"Sure sounds like it darling, but I'm not into being a home wrecker," Dixie reassured.

"But you are in more ways than one," Noble Rose responded. "You are truly a weak individual, its no wonder evil gleams around your very being."

"Call me whatever you want sugar but I'll – "

_Lucky was as green as grass. No contender for me at all and yet I still have to fight her._

"Damn, these thoughts again," Dixie said aloud, though not meaning too as she tried to keep this affliction to herself.

Noble Rose just shook her head disapprovingly. "As I thought, a seed of evil," she said carrying an accusing tone, "There is no place for you but the depths of hell."

Dixie gritted her teeth while the messages came faster.

_Even a flower can bloom in hell, but that bud must realize its dead..._

"A blooming flower in hell?"

Reiko pulled herself on to the outside apron. "Dixie?"

Noble Rose crossed her arms and took pride in that phrase. "Correct," she said. "My duty as the thorn of justice is to eradicate these inexcusable sprees of violence. Starting with you."

_Adding to the sin does not erase it, it brings more links to the chain._

Dixie was under serious stress caused by her mental suffering. Like a drone she hung on to the words spoken to her by this disembodied voice. "Adding to the sin does not erase it, it brings more links to the chain."

"What are you mumbling about?" Noble Rose asked.

_Unmask the phantasm._ "Unmask the phantasm," Dixie said. _Let her repent._ "Let her repent." _Exorcise her._ "Exorcise her."_ Remind her of her crimes._ "Remind her of her crimes."

"Dixie what's wrong?" Reiko shouted, the occurrence was haunting yet surreal.

"As you can see, the demon from within has emerge," Noble Rose said pointing at the crestfallen Dixie, struggling to understand the voice she's channeling.

_The latex devil._ "The latex devil," Dixie repeated, after the voice who whispers into her mind. _Case 139._ "Case...139?"

Reiko kept shaking her head in disbelief. "You're Dixie right?" she asked before unleashing her shout, "Your not Sarge!"

"Sarge?" Dixie said now back in control of her own speech, though the voice still whispers with a sense of surprise...and sadness.

_...has my angel fallen?_

Dixie couldn't ignore or deliver this message. She was tackled to the ground then had her body lifted effortlessly off the ground onto Noble Rose's shoulder's. Dixie's body dangled on down.

"It's about time we finish this match," Noble Rose said. Dixie was dangling and a throbbing sensation took over her left arm but something else hit her. Finally the epiphany she's been waiting for, and had Noble not set her up in this move she would not have figured it out.

"You're the murderer," Dixie said. Noble Rose paused and so did Reiko as the explanation was about to begin. "Case 139, the missing corpse. Shina Izawa a.k.a Lucky Shizuka, a new wrestler died while wrestling an opponent who dropped her on her head during a house show." And that wasn't all, Dixie grew angry during her speech and said, "Lucky Shizuka was taken to a nearby hospital but her body disappeared like magic. Her opponent from the match was a masked wrestler described as a devil in latex clothing, and was no where to be found. That devil was you."

Noble Rose's face distorted in tune with grumbling sounds made having her past being reopened. However, the assault wasn't over.

"Lucky Shizuka wasn't the only wrestler you killed now was she?" Dixie asked, now this was an interrogation. "You killed several others using that same move, the Ganso bomb. And you have the strength to cause those life-threaten concussions that it made it simple just to keep executing the move on various opponents to finish them. Like you plan to do to me now." Dixie's eyes sharpened viewing Noble Rose from a downwards position. "Maybe Evil Rose hasn't left you yet."

"I swore on the lives of the wrestlers I took with my very own hands that I would right my wrongs," Noble Rose responded. "But first, I'm taking care of Anesthesia's underlings and that includes you!"

"You'll only be adding to the debt your mother pays with her soul."

"How dare you!"

"Its the truth. It pains her to know that her own daughter was being used in the same manner as she was," Dixie claimed. "I couldn't hear her voice clearly enough because it wasn't **my** dream to access. You're like a Phantasm bound to this ring because you haven't yet realized that you've already died. You're the true demon, you're the child still bringing shame to your mother's name."

This was an anomaly. Kamikaze Rose speaking to Dixie and not Noble? It made sense why they were brought into a twilight zone. Since humans are more spiritually aware in their sleep, bringing them to the boundaries of the spirit world should increase that awareness. However, one thing is still amiss. "Not your dream to access?" Noble asked, but she knew. "Then that must mean you're – "

"The cop," Dixie said in a whisper, finishing the sentence with her brows arching as an evil grin took hold of her face.

Noble Rose nodded in assurance. She proceeded to lift Dixie to end this. It was short lived. A kick to the side of her stomach caused her to drop Dixie and fall to the ropes herself. The culprit was obvious. "Reiko what are you doing?"

The teary-eyed Reiko may have not had all the facts, but something got through to her. "Fujiko...you're a criminal. I-I don't think Mom wants you living like this."

"Reiko don't let what that cop said fool you into deceiving me!"

"But its true right?" Reiko called out, with tears escaping her eyes. "Don't you plan on killing her? What are you going to do when your done?" Reiko's voice got low as grip the cups of her brazier, pulling it down slightly. "You're going to kill me too?"

Silence. Noble Rose stood her ground and face her sister reluctantly. The truth must be told. "A reunion in hell is all that awaits us."

Reiko heard these words but her eyes screamed blasphemy. They were false, fiction, a lie! Reiko stepped back. She didn't recognize this woman anymore.

Noble Rose tried to reason, it was pure anguish watching her sister back away from her. She extended out her hand to Reiko. This isn't how things should be. "Reiko...I'm only trying to save us from ourselves. Please you have to – "

Noble Rose fell forward onto the mat with Dixie gripping her legs. She had no choice now. She was destined to be the wedge between the Hinomoto sisters. "Reiko...you with me?"

Reiko trembled under the pressure be in the end she follows what she believes is best. "Uh-huh."

"Okay," Dixie nodded. She pulled turned Noble Rose over and clutched her legs while Reiko jumped onto the turnbuckle. It was time, here came the tag team!

"Texas Buster Press!"

Dixie flipped Noble Rose over her head using her most lethal of maneuvers, the Dixie Buster, planting Noble Rose's face on the mat. Now it was Reiko's turn. You could see the fear in her eyes, staring down into the soul of sister, spiraling into chaos. It had to be done. Without thinking Reiko leaped into the air. A somersault or two and then the hard landing of Reiko's lethal "Angel Dive". The two attacks combined were more than enough to keep Noble Rose from scurrying away.

The deed was done and all sense of direction had to come from Dixie. Reiko was lost and misguided. For Dixie that was no longer the case. The arena was back to normal with people filled in the seats and watching this match up -- but silently. They were completely taken by the genes of Kamikaze Rose turning on on another. Dixie was too. Thinking of her idol again made her wonder why she was chosen as the host of her messages. Was she made an honorary Rose? A Yankee Rose? Or was it her friendship with Reiko? It might be a while before she knows for certain. Either way, she carried out the Mother's request and put an end to the evil rose.

Dixie looked at Reiko's tearing face. It must be hard turning on your only family, but there is nothing she can do. Dixie has a duty as a sheriff to do what's right. "Reiko...I have to take her in."

"I-I understand," Reiko said, though she felt her being break in half with every second she stood there trembling.

And yet, Dixie also had a duty as Reiko's friend to offer her comfort. As she did with a simple embrace and a shoulder for Reiko to cry on. Just then, Dixie felt a strange emotion overtaking her. She felt this surge of pride run through her veins from holding Reiko. It put a twisted smile across her face. Dixie did the unthinkable. She broke the bond the Hinomoto sister's had for each other and technically, Reiko was now **hers**.

Noble Rose squinted up at the blond hugging her sister. Dixie and Noble Rose locked eyes and distributed their hatred amongst each other. The animosity brought a chuckle out of Dixie and a visible sign of demoniac branding on her arm. Noble Rose knew it! That dirty cop had broken the veil that was the friendly cowgirl, and she had Reiko, willingly in her clutches. A perfect candidate for corruption. Noble Rose could do nothing but allow her consciousness to slip from her grasp. As darkness fills into her eyes, the words of the crooked cop was more than enough of a reason for dejection to follow her into the void. "When you see her," Dixie said, "tell Mama Rose that I caught...her fallen angel."


End file.
